The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication

The definitive collection of topics currently being studied in the rapidly growing field of health communication

The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication presents a thorough overview of a dynamic field, bringing together entries by an international panel of contributors that address a comprehensive range of recent and emerging topics. With a global and interdisciplinary focus, this timely resource addresses cutting-edge digital technology, complementary and integrative healthcare, diversity and inclusion, health equity, COVID-19, and much more.

The Encyclopedia provides a well-balanced methodological and theoretical coverage of key concepts and offers multiple perspectives on the issues being studied in the health communication community around the world. The entries include a broad range of topics including risk and crisis communication, legal and ethical considerations, biological approaches to healthcare communication, tools for predicting the success of health communication efforts, and communication strategies for a variety of specific diseases and illnesses.

• Covers topics including information seeking and processing, social and community movements, social support and networks, and lifestyle and health promotion
• Discusses healthcare communication in mainstream media, organizational policy, public health, and social media networks
• Presents various approaches for effectively implementing, disseminating, and translating health communication in different contexts
• Contains entries on all major academic organizations involved in the study of health communication

The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication is a valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate students taking health communication courses, researchers and scholars looking for an overview of the field, media professionals working on health-related content, and those wanting to better understand how to inform and influence individual, community, and organizational decisions that enhance health.

Evelyn Y. Ho is a Professor of Communication Studies, Asian Pacific American Studies, and Critical Diversity Studies at the University of San Francisco. She is a past Chair of the International Communication Association’s Health Communication Division.

Carma L. Bylund is a Professor of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics at the University of Florida’s College of Medicine and a member of the UF Health Cancer Center. She is Editor-in-Chief of PEC Innovation and Associate Editor of Patient Education and Counseling.

Julia van Weert is a Professor of Health Communication, Chair of the Department of Communication Science, and Founding Director of the Amsterdam Center for Health Communication at the School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam.

Iccha Basnyat is an Associate Professor of Global Health Communication in the Global Affairs Program at George Mason University, where she holds a joint appointment in the Department of Communication.

Nadine Bol is an Assistant Professor of Health Communication in the Department of Communication and Cognition at the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences, Tilburg University, The Netherlands.

Marleah Dean is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication

at the University of South Florida and a member of the Health Outcomes & Behavior Program at the Moffitt Cancer Center.